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Well, I give a damn about The Rich Eisen Show with guest host Tom Pellicero. God, I love that guy. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Victor Wimbinyama, six feet behind the line. Today's guests, NFL Network Insider Mike Garifolo, Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Mox.
And now, sitting in for Rich, it's Tom Pellisero. Welcome back to the Rich Eisen Show. Tom Pellicero in the next couple of hours here for Ritz with my boys in the studio, TJ Jefferson, Mike Del Tufo, Chris Brockman. What up, Eddie? As well, and joined right now by a guy I talk to on virtually a daily basis, fellow NFL Network Insider, member of the Insiders.
You can see it's 7 p.m. Eastern Time every weeknight. NFL Network Insider Mike Garifolo joining the show right now, Mike. We got our break. It came on, yeah, so a little applause in the studio here.
May 16th, the annual drama with Aaron Rodgers is over. That now leaves, by my count, one major drama point to go, which is A.J. Brown in Philadelphia. We're less than two weeks away from June 1st. Where do we stand?
How does this all play out with the guy that Howie Roseman just keeps saying is an Eagle? I turned the lights on for you. By the way, did you run that promo yesterday when I didn't show up on time? You know, I was going to let it go. I thought the three text messages to you before this appearance were sufficient to remind you of your no-show on yesterday's program.
But guess what? We're just happy you're here today. Right. Yeah.
Well, I made it. Thank you. I appreciate everybody, Tom, Erica, for reminding me. AJ Brown, how does this play out? Plays out with him on another team.
I would say. Likely the Patriots. I don't know that I can completely rule I mean, everything seems to have. Uh and I know everybody thinks Like if he's getting traded on June 1st, that it sort of was agreed to and kind of put in a drawer. And I mean, I I don't know how that helps, whether it's the Patriots or anybody.
And if that happened, everybody that we've talked to. Is lying because nobody's said. Yeah, yeah, by the way, don't say anything, but yeah, this is pretty much agreed to.
So it's going to have to be rebooted and it's going to have to be done. And there's no. It doesn't have to happen on June 1st or 2nd, right? Like, it can happen. In the middle of July, right before training camp.
I mean, I think that that, at some point, you're looking for what I like to call pressure points, right?
Something's forcing action on one or both sides. Back in March, that was teams going through it and spending their money, right? And it's like, if we're going to make this move, we've got to do it now and figure it out from a financial standpoint. And then the draft, too, as well. But I mean, by the time we got past that first wave of free agency, it was dead and not going to happen again until June 1st.
So there's no pressure point in the early part of June.
So, there is once you get closer to training camp, it's like, okay, we gotta get this done, we gotta get our team together, we gotta get everybody in. And you're using draft capital that's not being used for, gosh, nine months at that point.
So, um, I I I think it could play out a little bit and and how does Howie Roseman, who is pretty good about working this stuff, create some leverage and say, it's not just this one team that I'm negotiating with. There are other teams that could potentially be interested. We shall see.
Well, and listen, Howie was looking for a similar type of trade package that he gave up to get A.J. Brown back in 2022, which is a first-round pick and an additional pick. He didn't, from my understanding, have it. Prior to the draft. Top offer that he had was something in the range of a second-round pick.
Now, if you're talking about 2027 picks in what is broadly regarded as a better draft, certainly a better quarterback draft, it raises the question. What is a reasonable or logical price for A.J. Brown to command, especially if, as many people believe, there's basically one team for him and it's the Patriots?
Well, part of that first round, from how he's negotiating standpoint, from my understanding, was I can't. come down, right? Like I'm looking for You know, as I as I called it a um Quentin Williams type package, which was a two and a one. It would have been something around there, but the one was important to him. And it's like, well, then I can't come off that, because every other negotiation I have going forward, they'll say, well, he eventually came off of it.
I would think that, like, this time around, when you go through it a second time around. It's not that you necessarily came off it. It's just okay, you rebooted it and now we almost start anew. And it's not like, oh, he came down because he took, let's say, it's a two plus or whatever it winds up being. You're right.
It is a really good draft coming up.
Sometimes teams are more inclined to give up. Um Higher picks because it's a year away. It's like, oh, we've got time to sort of recoup that and ways to work around it. We've got time to, whereas negotiating in March, that draft pick locked in was sort of part of everybody's plan along the way. The Rams were willing to part with one because they said, oh, it's almost like acquiring who are you going to get at that pick late in the first round that's better than Trent McDuffie?
So the other part, though, is that you're right. It's such a good draft.
Now, the Patriots don't necessarily need a quarterback in that draft.
Some other teams do. We've got one team right now that's got multiple first-round picks next year, and it's the Jets. And they're up three to one on everybody else, too, because teams were, I thought we would see maybe some movement this past. Nobody, nobody was willing to come off of one for any of these trades.
So that's going to continue to be a part of this. How does Howie make this work? And maybe there's other parts at play to kind of sort of help with the compensation. We'll see. And let's look at the leverage points here.
You talked about how he's got to create leverage. His greatest leverage is what you said, which is, I don't have to trade. Him. If I don't get what I want, I'll just hold him into June and July, August if I need to, September, we can put him on the field. The leverage for a team like the Patriots is, well, If we're the only bidder, you're ultimately going to have to offer the best we've got, unless.
There's somebody else laying in the weeds, Mike. You mentioned the Rams in there. That got far enough down the line that they told Devontae Adams, hey, we might trade for A.J. Brown and trade you away. Could they still re-engage?
Is there some other team that you could envision getting involved on A.J.? Yeah, that was really close. It was closer than it got with the Patriots. That was really close. And.
There was one point where overnight it sort of died, and it was like late one night. This could be going down by the next morning. You know what? There's too many moving parts here. They could come back in at this point and say, look, where we are.
Look at this team that we've assembled this offseason here and can only add to it. And we're willing to kind of sort of go for it here. And maybe that's part of the whole exchange. You know, do the Eagles eat some money here to help facilitate that? Can how we do that and say, okay, well, this is how we're going to get our first round of returns.
Maybe put some of the financial burden on us. There's a lot of ways that it can go. I wouldn't be surprised if the Rams re-emerge. Look, we don't know what's happening with Puka Nakua. With this offseason that he's had, and you hope for the best for him.
But that certainly, I think, might be a factor at play here because you don't know. Can you rely on him, right? Like, we don't know what's happening off the field with him.
So I would not be surprised if the Rams at some point re-engage and kind of check in, or how he checks in with them, and they go and conversations continue. Does he wind up being a Ram? It's tough for me to say at this point, but if there were conversations, at least to that end, I wouldn't be surprised. I am just so fascinated by the Eagles in general, Mike, because even if we set aside the A.J. Brown situation, let's just go forward as if A.J.
Brown is gone and you've already acquired all the potential replacements, drafting Makai Lemon after the trade-up, trading for Don Davion Wicks, signing another veteran wide receiver in Hollywood Brown. They're also going to be running a completely fundamentally different offense this year, and one that on paper doesn't seem to play to the skill set of a quarterback who was the Super Bowl MVP 16 months ago. It's Sean Mannion coming in. He comes from, he played under McVay and under Kevin O'Connell. It's that style of offense.
It's a vast departure.
Meanwhile, you've got the things that people have reported about Jalen Hurts and where he stands with the organization. Like, what is 2026 all about for the Eagles as an organization determining what exactly their future is? Training camp's going to be fun, and it's a little bit different when it's not live, and you're not necessarily going against defenses that are game planning. I've almost. Taken this as a It almost could be a positive for the Eagles early in the season because you're going to see a lot of unscouted stuff.
Now, As that gets put on tape and as you get deeper into the season, how can defenses sort of adjust and say, okay, here's how we can make Jalen Hurts? Because they knew how to do it given the system last year. They knew what they needed to do to make him uncomfortable. And they did a great job with that.
Now, the first go-round of Jalen Hurts, a lot of the talk was. How he was better at seeing stuff and communicating stuff week to week in games than people were giving him credit for. I didn't hear a whole lot of that as we got down the stretch with last year's team. And go to that last call that people have been analyzing. It's been reported by some of our folks at ESPN about the sideline huddle where Jalen Hurts was just looking for something he was comfortable with.
And that's why they went with that final play call that everybody crushed Kevin Petullo for, but it seemed like Jalen Hurts had a lot of input in that. And as they got into this offensive coordinator search, it wasn't like, oh, let's have the quarterback sit in on interviews and let's get his feedback. It was like, no, we're going to go in this direction. More towards some of the offenses that Folks in the upper uh reaches of the building. Want to see that are infatuated with.
They wanted that, those concepts brought in. And it's like, well, Jalen's going to have to adjust and figure out how to live life in this kind of offense.
So, again, I think it could wind up being a positive early in the season. And then maybe he's got to continue it throughout the season. We'll see. They're getting their reps in now. We'll be down there for training camp.
We'll be analyzing every single throw of where every receiver is, whether it's AJ Brown or not AJ Brown. It's going to be a fun, fun little trip this summer. Another loose end that's still hanging out there, and frankly, this has felt like a loose end for two years now. Where do we stand on Brandon Ayuk? Obviously, John Lynch said months ago he's probably played his last down in San Francisco.
He'd move on at a certain point. They've also made clear they don't intend just to cut him. Where do we stand? And do we even see Brandon Ayuk played 2026? If I could advise Brandon Ayuk.
Um I would tell him to show up for for work. I would have told him to show up for work a couple of weeks ago. Good. See if they're willing to let you work out and run routes and do things at their facility that, if you're injured, Uh All of a sudden, those guarantees are back, and your money is on their books once again. He did not do that.
He has not done that. He's got a lot of pride. I mean, that's kind of where we are, why we are where we are, because he was. strongly uh it was strongly suggested to him that he Show up for everything he needed to show up for last year during his rehab and team meetings because they're going to take those guarantees away. And he didn't listen to those warnings all along the way.
And now he's at a point where the team is controlling things rather than him controlling things. And it's almost out of. I don't say spite, but it's almost like, you know what, you sort of held us hostage last year.
Now it's our turn right now. And there's nothing forcing them to make a decision otherwise.
Now, here's the other question that I have that I haven't had answered. And. Folks on the player's side. Through the union, don't know this. I think he put him on the left squad list, if I'm not mistaken.
Does he have to now show up for mandatories? Like, could he be fined for missing minicamp? Or is it like, oh, left squad? You're right. Like, we don't have the answers to that.
So as we get into mini camp and training camp, if it's still not resolved, could the clock just continue to run with no further financial penalty for him than what he's already suffered to this point? These are questions we're going to have to get the answer to if it drags on that long. Again, Ayuk could put an end to this tomorrow if he wanted to. He hasn't been willing to do that. I don't know why, if you're Washington or anybody, you'd give up a pick for a guy in this situation when you know what's happening.
So it continues to play out. And, you know, who knows? Maybe one day Brandon Ayuk will be watching the Rich Eisen show and say, you know what? That's some good advice. I think I'm going to take it.
Well, if we put it on Instagram, you may find it there. The other open question, Ayuk, is he even healthy? Because we know he was in the building last year at the beginning of the season. He was rehabbing. They kept making indications like, all right, he's getting closer.
And then all of a sudden, he was just gone and it was over, which says to me, did he even finish? Do we know, did he even finish his rehab? Could he actually even get. Pass a physical right now. The number of people that are communicating with Brandon Ayuk right now.
Washington may know better than San Francisco, right? There's an extremely small circle that he has been willing to communicate with thus far. I don't know what he wants to play. Like, I can't answer that question. Does he want to play NFL football?
Does he want to play in Washington? I have no idea. That's a part of it, too.
So the health. From the health standpoint, and that was part of San Francisco. Like, we wanted to see him, we wanted him up close, we wanted to see his rehab, see what he was doing, be a part of it. And he wasn't willing to be there at least not 100% of the time or enough of the time for them to say, okay, we'll keep your guarantees locked in for next season.
So, and I also saw something out there about how someone speculated or heard that a UK's agent, Ryan Williams, who negotiated with San Francisco. Seems to be one of the better deals in NFL history at this point. That he dropped him. He has not dropped him. He still represents him.
He did not abandon him. He was part of the group of people trying to tell him what was going to happen in San Francisco if he didn't show up. He did not heed that advice. But whatever information led to that report of Ayuk's agent dropping him is not accurate. He is still his agent of record and still sounds like would be willing to facilitate something if Ayuk would just tell him what he wants to do right now.
Another team that you cover extensively. You were on the beat some 20 years ago. The New York Giants are going through. What I can only describe as a sort of public buddy comedy with John Harbaugh and Joe Shane. They make appearances together.
They pose for photos together. By all accounts, it seems like for everything that went into John Harbaugh being hired, they've kind of been in lockstep, at least from an outward-facing perspective. What do you know about how that relationship between head coach and GM has evolved? And what are your broader expectations on this franchise and kind of what the actual realistic expectations are in 2026? There was one person on the plane that flew down to go pick up John Harbaugh the day that he visited East Rutherford, and it was Joe Shane.
He was part of the process before that. He built a roster that, you know, when John Harbaugh was sizing up, All the potential spots. I know we, not we, but some folks said Miami was going to be a spot for him. And then they interviewed a guy that had a history with him. And oh, there it is.
didn't seem like he was interested in Miami because he knew that that was going to be a longer build for him. Part of the appeal of the Giants, in addition to the rich history of the organization, was the roster right now, which was built by Joe Shane to this point.
So that was a good start for them. Working with together through free agency, bringing in a number of players that Harbaugh had either experience with or wanted to bring in and getting those deals done further solidified that for Shane. Shane's willingness to You know, give up, give up power or renegotiate power. Matter of fact, Early in that process, from my understanding, Usually John Mara would handle contracts for new Uh coaches. John Mara has been going through a health situation that's been documented, and so was not in a position to do that.
And at some point, Joe Shane was the one that was going to have to have these conversations. And he said, Whoa, this involves my role. I'm going to recuse myself from that. And then they had other lawyers on both sides handle the negotiations.
So he was willing to say, Hey, whatever needs to be done to land this plane, to get John Harbaugh in here and to help build a winning team. That was a huge part of it. Then you get through free agency, you get through the draft, and the guys that they wanted five and ten. It could not have lined up better for them to land both of those guys.
So that was a night to celebrate. Together, and you've seen the clips that the Giants have now released of how happy they were that night.
So I know a lot of folks said they're going to get through the draft, and then he's going to. You know, leave Joe Shane on the side of the road. I don't expect that. I expect these two to be together for the long haul. We'll call it for now, or at least for the foreseeable future.
Last thing for you, Mike, appreciate the time here. We're now beyond, you know, obviously free agency and the draft. As I mentioned, a lot of these loose ends and the various news questions are at the top of everybody's list going with the audience. They've been resolved. We're now into the actual competition.
Teams are beginning OTAs this week. Minicamps are a couple months away. When you look across the scope of the NFL, all these quarterback competitions, there's more than I think people realize here. What's going to take place in Atlanta, Minnesota, Cleveland, Vegas, to the extent that they're willing to be open-minded about that? What is the spot you're most interested to see play out as we're making our training camp travels at the end of July and start of August?
I mean I could almost Like I n I Kyler's going to be the starting quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings, right? Like, we're going to talk about it and we'll say he's got the edge. In what world is he not, right? Atlanta will depend on Pennex's health, right? But if we're saying health is still a question, then I would expect that Tua is going to be the starter there.
Um I know you said Vegas. What was the fourth one you named? I already lost track. Cleveland was the other one I said. Cleveland, we think it's going to be Deshaun Watson.
Now, that'll be a fun one. That'll be a fun one. But I do think it's going to wind up being Watson, the guy. Vegas, right? Like, if Mendoza just plays so well in the preseason and really does what he needs to do in training camp.
You know, I know they're going into this almost like, all right, Kirk can play for a little bit and then we'll go from there. And they, I think Clay Kubiak has been on record saying that you almost prefer to have, not almost, but you prefer to have a guy rest for a little bit or watch for a little bit, that that's been proven to be a good thing. But Mendoza, the energy. What he does in the preseason, some of these shots were amazing, by the way. There's one in particular that I loved.
Hopefully, you got that one too as well. It's got the ability to. He's got the ability to bring some juice. You know, I know he's. Not thought of as, like, you know, the dude, you know, like as a quarterback.
Like, that's my dude. He's got ways of doing it. And plus, when you play well, who cares? Right? Like, I covered Eli Manning and he was goofy.
Now, he was a little bit more behind the scenes, showing guys that there was more to him than we realized. But he didn't have to be the rah-rah, you know, alpha-male, all-the-time type personality to lead a team. You play good football, they will follow. And that's what I expect with Fernando Mendoza.
So that's that's the interesting one to me. Thanks for showing up, Mike. Hello, African. Yeah.
Thanks for having me, Tom. Two days. Thanks for clearing room. Mike Garifola, everybody, NFL Network. Insider, we'll see him again.
Presuming he shows up tonight on the Insiders, NFL Network, 7 p.m. Eastern Time every single weeknight. Let's dig a little bit more into those quarterback competitions because there's some where me and Mike are aligned. There's other ones that I think we probably disagree a little bit about how this plays out. We'll talk about that.
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Welcome back to The Rich Eisen Show. Tom Pellicero in for Rich. Just had Mike Garifolo. Talked a little bit about some of the quarterback competition. I want to dive a little bit deeper into some of those.
But first, we haven't had. Anyone play the Raiders win-loss game just yet? I believe Ben in California wants to change that right now. Ben, are you ready for the schedule game, sir? I am ready for the schedule, game.
Hello, guys. All right, let's do it. Hello, Ben. Week one. California is a big state.
Where are you? San Diego, California.
Okay. For Oakland. Got it. All right, week one. Home against the Dolphins.
I think we're going to win against the Dolphins. Week two at Chargers, which is basically a home game. Loss. Week three at Saints. We'll lose to the same.
Week 4, Home Against the Chiefs. Chiefs have our number at home. Chiefs. One and three start for the Raiders. Week five at New England.
Mm-hmm.
Well, we did beat him last year. Brockman, you would know about that. That was the high point of the year for you guys. Win or loss. Loss.
Lost. I was at that game. Strangest game of the entire season. And I won. First game, Pete Carroll versus Mike Ravel, and the Pete Carroll Raiders won that game.
G. Does Smith at like 400 yards? He was a little up and down, but he played good in the second half. All right, week six, home against the Bills. We're losing the belt.
One and five. Week seven, home against the Rams. This is a brutal schedule. My goodness. Week seven, home against the Rams.
Losing against the Rams. Wait, man, who's the quarterback for all these losses? I think we're letting forget. I think we're letting Kirk just ride it out. Eat those losses.
It's a six-game skid.
Now, finally, here we are, week eight. at New York Jets. I think we beat the Jets. There we go. Genie Smith revenge games.
There we go. That's right. Week nine at 49ers. Not beat the 49. Back to Liza.
Week 10, home against the Seahawks. Not beating the Super Bowl champs with no loss. Week 11 at Denver. Not beating the Broncos. Week 12 at Cleveland.
Nope. Cleveland's had our number, and their defense is really good. No, I think we lose to, I guess, Deshaun Watson. This is the most realistic schedule game of all time. Week 13 by at this point and got him at 2-10.
Thikes. Week 14, home against the Chargers. Lose to the Chargers. Week 15, home against Denver. Lose to Denver.
Week sixteen, home against the Titans. We beat the Titans. Week 17 at Arizona. We beat the Cardinals. Woo!
Winning streak. Messing up that high pick right now. Week 18 at the Chiefs. The Chiefs are probably going to be resting their starters if it goes well. I'll say we win and mess up our draft pick.
So that's a three-game winning streak at the end of the year, turning 2-12 into 5-12, going from potential number one pick to probably like pick five, six.
Somewhere in there? The reason why I'm okay with that is I had I have no I have no inclination that Raiders are going to lose their wool this year. But if we can get Jeremiah Smith in next year's draft, then I think we have the booster pad of what the Raiders need. The true number one receiver. Wait, so is that at Mendoza three-game winning streak to end the season?
Or the final three games they put in Mendoza to see what he's got. Like with Drake May. They let. Jacoby Prissette, just take him down, and then they get a high enough pick to get what they really need. But then you run the risk of.
Ben, appreciate the call. Then you run the risk, though, if Mendoza takes over, and all of a sudden, you get that little bump. You win a couple of games at the end of the year. Last year they shut down half their roster for playing that game against the I believe it was the Jets with the number one pick on the line. I like the forward thinking right there.
Yeah, Raiders win totals five and a half.
So. I mean, that is a brutal schedule, but that's what happens when you have to face the NFC West. The AFC West and the NFC West play this year.
So that's a collision course. Where the Cardinals and the Raiders are the teams that get caught in the wash. One more reason that you have to think. Those teams are probably going to be in the running for a very high pick, along with teams like the Dolphins, who are just in the early stages of a three year build realistically here. Let's get back into that because you talk about the quarterback competitions.
Raiders certainly one of them. You have to think based on every public comment. That Has been made by Clint Kubiak since he got there. Based on what that schedule looks like, I mean, beyond Miami in week one, that stretch of Chargers, Saints, Chiefs, Patriots, Bills, Rams. From week two to seven.
I'll even throw the Saints in there because they were very competitive at the end of the year. That is a fertile stretch. For a Raiders team that has So much work to do to get things headed in the right direction.
Okay, then you get the Jets in week eight, but then you're right back at San Francisco, Seattle, Denver. Cleveland defense at Cleveland. Oof. Like, if you are, and I can't give gambling advice, but if you're putting the over-under of wins by the by for the Raiders, it can't be higher than three and a half. It might be two and a half.
Yeah, I think two and a half. I mean, these are, and this is taking nothing away. Where are they coming from? Yeah.
I mean,. You'd think Miami, they the Jets. Maybe Cleveland, maybe New Orleans. Everybody else, I mean, the Chiefs weren't a playoff team last year, but everyone I think would believe they're going to be back in the playoffs this year. Every other team they're facing is a playoff team.
But you would think Miami, right? But you'd have a chance. Who would you give the quarterback edge to, Miami or Vegas, in week one? I would probably give it to Miami. Don't you think Malik Willis is better than Kirk Cousins and a rookie?
Kirk Cousins knows that offense, though. Really well. I mean, he could coach that offense that Clint Kubiak is running.
Well, maybe he shouldn't have played under Clint Kubiak anymore. He's a coach on the field. He's the ideal mentor for Fernando Mendoza, and not just because they can pull off a stepbrother's routine in the schedule release video. Kirk's that smart in terms of knowing how everything's supposed to look: pre-snap, post-snap. He's the perfect mentor, but you hate to say it, but to flip the Jameis Winston phrase, you got to eat those losses, to eat those L's.
That's what somebody's got to do. Kirk is a good enough quarterback. And he's still talented enough at this point in his career that with Ashton Genty, and Brock Bowers and what they've added at wide receiver. And it can't get much worse on the offensive line. They've hired a better offensive line coach.
Well, they made some moves in free agency. And they've got a good offensive coordinator who, unlike Chip Kelly a year ago, is not going to botch play calls and all the things that happened with the Raiders last year. Pete was obviously very involved in everything as well. It's a better environment. There's no doubt about it than it was a year ago.
Right, right, right. But that is a rocky, rocky stretch until you get to probably the final few weeks of the season for the Raiders.
So, that to me. leads me to believe unless Kirk gets hurt or falls on his face, you're starting the season with Kirk Cousins. You're just... That's what Quint believes in. Not every coach believes in that.
Some people think that's outdated thinking, and these guys need to play. That's the only way you get better. But Clint has said it publicly, and I know that he believes it. Tommy believes it too. You're better off protecting.
And Tom Brady, too, who got the sit his first year in the NFL. And there's a lot of growth that can be had. In that regard, especially when, like Fernando, you're coming from an offense that rarely, if ever, puts you under center. That was all based on RPOs, and you're throwing into wide open windows. This is a different type of a scheme.
And giving them that time to watch. A guy who for Kirk, if you're just going. Talent versus production. Certain aside money. But you certainly could say talent versus money as well.
Kirk has as high of a ratio as anybody in NFL history. Kirk physically is just... And I like him as a human, so I don't mean this as a shot. He is not that talented. But he's so smart and he processes at such a high level, the mental can overcome the physical.
So for Fernando, who does have much more physical ability, to watch a guy win with his brain the way that Kirk can. I think it outweighs any like, boy, Fernando looks pretty good. Let's just throw him out there week one. It just doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
So that's one area where, yes, there's going to be competition always, but I certainly believe it's going to be Kirk Cousins who ends up as the starter. Minnesota, Garifolo said he believes it's Kyler. It's not close. That's clearly where he's going. Kyler's walking in there believing he's going to be the quarterback.
He could have picked any place. Of the open jobs. In another scenario, could he have gone to, for instance, Atlanta? Could he have gone to the Jets? He wants to go to Minnesota because Kevin O'Connell is a really good coach.
He wants a shot in that system. He's only 28 years old. Money was no object because the Cardinals still owe him like 36 million this year, minus the minimum salary that's being offset for Minnesota. And they gave him a no-tag clause.
So Kyler Murray controls his future in 2027. But job one is he's got to come out. and compete and win that job over J.J. McCarthy. Contrary to popular opinion and all the memes, J.J.
McCarthy's career to this point has not been an abject unqualified failure. He's not stayed healthy enough. He's not been available enough. He's not been consistent enough. But you can't go back and watch him play in Detroit last year after a six-week layoff because of a high ankle sprain.
Watch him play against the Lions and go, this guy can't play in the NFL. He was good that day. He did not have to throw the ball a ton. I think he was under 200 yards passing. I mean, I was at that game.
I've done this long enough. I can tell. When a guy's able to play on time, when he's able to be accurate, when he's able to produce in the red zone, J.J. McCarthy did those things that day. You watch him play some of the games down the stretch.
Even though he's dealing with a hand that was messed up. He had the baby early on in the season. There's so much going on in his life and with his body through the course of the season. That It's hard to get a read. And that's not to say JJ's, you know, he's a success and you gotta give him the job.
No, it's to say there's enough there and he's young enough. that they're not just going to punt on them. If this were just, it's Kyler's job and JJ is competing with Carson Wentz to be the two, you would have traded JJ. You would have gotten whatever you could get for him already because. The longer you wait.
To trade a guy like J.J. McCarthy, the less his value is. Other teams trade for untapped potential and traits. You trade something of value because your grade you had on J.J. McCarthy coming out in 2024.
And listen, it was not consistent. There were some people who had him a lot lower, sixth or seventh QB. There were people who had him as the second or third QB in that draft. He ends up being the fifth one off the board after Caleb and Jaden. Drake May and Panix, But The longer he's in the league and the more you don't see what you thought he could be, the harder it is to justify trading.
Something of value for the guy, not to mention the fact that you're further into his contract, and now that value on a rookie contract isn't there.
So, I fully anticipate they're going to give J.J. McCarthy the opportunity here to come in and compete with Kyler. If you're Kevin O'Connell, Every quarterback wants to come to Minnesota. If Geno Smith could have had the option to come to Minnesota, I believe he would have been in Minnesota. If Tua had had the option, Which was probably never an option, in part because Brian Flores is the defensive coordinator in Minnesota.
That was probably not going to be a fit back in the same building together. He probably would have chosen. to go to Minnesota. He ends up in the second best spot in Atlanta. But the point is, Kevin O'Connell has quarterbacks actively wanting to come and play for him because he had Kirk Cousins playing at the best level of his life until Kirk tears his Achilles early in the 2023 season.
He had Sam Darnold playing the best football of his life. Daniel Jones never saw the field in Minnesota. But he got a crash course in that offense for a month and went and until he got hurt last year, was probably playing the best football of his career in the Indy. And I'm not giving Kevin O'Connell full credit for that. Shane Steichen obviously works with him as well, and Jim Bob Cooter and those guys.
But That time with Kevin O'Connor, it's just proof. When players become available, they want to come. Kevin O'Connell's got a runway here. Whatever it is, next two, three years. They still haven't hired a GM.
That's going to come. But he's got time here to find who the quarterback is going to be. You now, in that room, have three guys who are top 10 picks: Kyler, J.J., and Carson Wentz, who's later on in his career. And two out of four seasons in Minnesota, O'Connell has needed that many quarterbacks because everybody's gotten hurt.
So I anticipate it's going to be a fair competition going in. I don't know, and I said this on the show last week. I don't know how friendly the room's going to be with Kyler and JJ because they both intend to go and win that job. But why would you not? JJ still has fans.
Like, he was really well liked. He still is well-liked in the locker room. Just hasn't been consistent enough. in his availability, in his approach. in his production.
But let's see those two guys go at it. I think that's fun. I think Atlanta is fun. I just don't know realistically how quickly we expect Michael Pennix Jr. to be able to compete for the job.
He's coming off another ACL surgery. A repeat ACL guy who's had a bunch of other injuries in his career. He's a Similar but different style of player, I would say, from Tuatunga Vailoa. Obviously, the size is a lot different. They're both left-handers.
I don't know that the similarities. Go much beyond that. Tua is a more accurate quarterback, quite frankly. He's shown that in his career. And he can play a style that Kevin Stefansky wants.
I know Matt Ryan's made public statements that are positive about Michael Panix Jr., but again, What is he going to be able to do in this offseason? Is he even going to play in the preseason? Is he going to even have the opportunity to go out and compete? I think it's two a week one, but that's as much about the availability factor. And maybe you hit.
On Tua, who has been a Pro Bowl caliber player when he has been healthy and on the field, which has been his biggest issue. And oh, yeah, he lit up the Falcons despite the fact that his eye was swollen shut because of some type of allergic reaction last year. It's still in there with Tuatonga Vailoa. He was beat up last season, probably more than people realize. Let's see what he can do.
I think two is the quarterback in Atlanta, at least out of the gate. Arizona? Jacoby Brissette Is currently not at OTA's. They're voluntary. He's not in the building.
You had yesterday, Mike LaFleur, new coach of the Cardinals, talked on that situation and had this to say. How are things progressing with Jacobi's dis contract discussions? Same as where we were a few weeks ago. It does that impact, I guess what is the impact of not having all your top quarterback options here during OTAs? You know, it's not mandatory, right?
And And, like I've said with Jacoby and all veterans I've ever been around, they've played football. The hardest thing to do in this league is get used to the speed of the game. And even for not just the rookie, but the second-year, third-year guy, and he's played a lot of football. He's done probably everything that we've ever done schematically. It's just a little bit different verbiage, you know.
If it's the flip stuff that getting used to the game, like if a rookie's not here, or a second-year guy's not here, you're like, oh, crap, you know, because it takes a minute. I know Jacoby Brissette. Produced, you know, threw the ball, like led the league, I think, in completions, like put up numbers last year from an efficiency standpoint. Not great. And that was a team that had all kinds of challenges last season.
He's throwing the ball that much because they were giving up like 40 points in most games. He had to go out. It's an interesting tact by Jacoby. It's not the first time that he's kind of made clear: hey, he's not playing unless certain things are right. They sign Gardner Minshew in the offseason.
My understanding has been Jacoby's still QB1 on the depth chart. And then they draft Carson Beck in the third round. You look at their schedule at Chargers, home against the Seahawks at San Francisco. Those are the first three games. Out of the gate for Arizona.
But if I'm Carson Beck. And I've played like 92 college games. That's a slight exaggeration, but not by much. I've played a ton of football. I played a lot.
I'm a third-round pick, top pick in the third round. I've taken two college teams to the national title game. If you tell me. That I'm going up against Gardner Minshew because Jacoby's going to hold out. 55 games for Beck.
55, which is up there. It's not the record. Because you've had well, Bo Nix, I think, started 52. I want to say there was a player this year who had 60 starts, but he's up there. Didn't Kellen Moore start out a game?
Up there among, no, I mean, that was back in the days when he didn't have seven years of eligibility. Kellen's heard a lot for that era. But if I'm Carsonback and you're telling me Wait a second. I got an opportunity. I just got to beat out Gardner Minshew.
And regardless of who my opponents are, I'm going to play with Jeremiah Love. Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Trey McBride. Very good. I'll take my chances. What third-round pick has an opportunity to start out of the gate?
I'm all over this. There's other situations. For the same reason I'm saying you protect Fernando Mendoza, your Carson Beck, you may not get a shot. Your shot isn't like, well, eventually. No, your shot is when your shot comes.
If you ever get one, it's a third-round pick. I'm loving this. Every rep Jacoby Brissette doesn't take. I'm going. Great.
Yeah.
Give me the opportunity. Let me go out there. You know, we'll see where it resolves. You would think ultimately Jacoby's going to show up. But again.
He's always... Marched to his own beat a little bit. He's never had an agent. He's not due like the minimum this year. He's on a contract.
It's not a starter contract, but like it's a solid backup contract. And depending on how this goes, he could be the backup, even though he's going into this thing. you know, as QB1 into Into the training camp portion of this. The other competition, real quick before we break, too, Cleveland, we mentioned it. This one has the potential to be nuclear for all kinds of reasons.
You already have Dion. Out there saying he's going to fly in. He's got a meeting set with Todd Monken to talk about how he can best use Shadur. You got Shadur's brother, Shiloh, taking shots at Mary Kay Cabot because she says, give the job to Deshaun. You got Deshaun, who's a whole other story and has now been there for, he's now four years into that five-year, $230 million contract and has started 20-ish games, Brockman, somewhere around there.
I want to say he has started about 20 games since the 2020 season. We know what Deshaun was at his peak. Can he still be that guy? If he is, he's more talented than Shadur. That is going to be a fascinating one because whoever doesn't come out of that starting.
You know they're not going to be happy still being there. All right, we got to take a break. Randy Moss is on in the final hour of the show. Your calls, more NFL after this. The Rich Heisen Show, the podcast.
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That's VYVGARTMYWAY.com and talk to your doctor about VivGuard Hytrulo, brought to you by Argenix. Welcome back to the Rich Eyes and Show. Tom Pell Lacero in for Rich on the. Quarterback competition front. There's not one in Baltimore, but we're currently getting a look at, I believe, Snoop Huntley running the first team offense in OTAs.
They're voluntary. Loire, Jackson? Who has a $750,000 bonus tied to showing up to 80% of the offseason? Maybe waiving that bonus for a third straight year. Hunting on almost a million.
Never been big on the voluntary prices.
Now, he was there. Listen, he was there the first day of the voluntary off-season program, which was substantial. We know that because they posted a video of him in slow motion walking into the facility. Unclear if he was there any other days since we just have on NFL Network continued to loop that same video over and over. Wearing an I Love Jesus hoodie, I believe.
And he was also there for the extra bonus minicamp that they had prior to the draft. New head coach in Jesse Minter, new offensive coordinator in Declan Doyle. No reason to think this is contract-related for a player who's due, I believe, $52 million again this year, and that the Ravens would resign to an extension in a heartbeat if and when Lamar, who represents himself, is willing to engage. That has not yet taken place here. But always notable when you're talking about those new coaches in terms of the communication.
Do certain players buy in more? Are they there more often? In Lamar's case, again, more, he has been part of more. But not all to this point. And so.
Once again, they put actual money into the position. They did last year, too, I guess, but it was to Cooper Rush, who surprisingly couldn't run the same offense as Lamar Jackson. One of the stranger signings. Listen, Cooper's had success in Dallas, but if you're talking about What you can run with Cooper Rush. It's like the overlap.
It's one of those pie charts. It's just two circles side by side. That's not a pie chart. It's a Venn diagram. That's it.
No intersection. No overlap. It's been a while since I took any of that. My kids get those math problems. You're just like, what?
It's, I got nothing. You know? What's the. Yeah, what's the square root? I think I can handle square roots.
The square root of 64 is eight. Yeah, but you do like the little lines. It's confusing. Yeah.
Max is. Everyone's NFL questions, including from In This Studio, my final hour. We're going to do that coming up right after this. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Mm-hmm.
